Underworld Revisited
by Shadow Wolf22
Summary: I've reloaded and reworked it, so someone read it


I do not own underworld, only the characters in this fic, not that their much, but their mine and I love them. OCs:-_- Thanks a lot? Oh well, forget them. This is my first Underworld fic, so please don't make the flames to hot. Also This is a repost, so feel free to review this time around.  
  
For nearly a thousand years a war has raged, beneath the notice of mankind. A species known as Vampires verses my people, the Lycans. Once upon a time the sides were equal, us killing them and them killing us, but times have changed and they have nearly hunted us to extinction. Despite this fact though, or more appropriately because of it we continue to fight, turning the shadows and the streets into our battlefield. My name is Jonathan Moray and I once fought in this never ending blood feud but now I am a deserter, have been for a very long time.  
  
Now I live with the homeless humans, among those that are below notice to both the Vampires and my own people, even as prey, so it is needless to say that the war was the farthest thing from my mind, but its participants were not.  
  
As I always did I watched the sun set, taking in the smell of the chilly wind that often flowed from the bay, and it was clean. Which was a welcome change from the smell of death and blood that normally accompanied the gust, but it still gave me a chill. But unlike the normal ones this was actually from the cold, it caused me to wiggle a bit deeper into the heavy coat I wore. The coat, a heavy wool necked thing was one of the few possessions I still had and was quite warm. Still I couldn't wait to get back to the fire that burned a little ways down the darkened alley. But as much as I couldn't wait, I couldn't give up on the scene before me either. The sun set was gorgeous, a sky on fire, blazing red while cooling to deep blues and purples around the edges with the dazzling golden orb of the sun in the center of it all, slowly falling into the purples and ending up a golden sparkle in the bay. The longer I beheld this site, the less I noticed the cold until I felt the beginnings of a smile on my lips. Not that it was the sun set that brought about this uncharacteristic expression, though it was one of the most beautiful I had seen in centuries and I have seen quite a few in that time. I have watched sun sets from palaces, watched them from voyaging ships, even watched them from battlefields it was one of the things I had learned to appreciate. A lesson from my master Lucian.  
  
"To appreciate beauty is civilization and contrary to what you may hear from the blood suckers we are civilized." He had said this often and the words could not have been truer.  
  
But even these words were not the cause of my beaming, no the cause was freedom. For the first time in over six hundred years of life, I finally felt free, there hadn't been a time in the past two hundred years that I had ever truly felt free. Deserter or not the war had always eaten at me, always, but now for some reason even I couldn't understand things felt right.  
  
With the sunset done, and the true fall of night I turned, heading back toward the fire. After a few moments I was there, looking down upon the form of a human I had called friend for the past three years. His name was Bobby Taylor, a black man of similar skin tone to my own whom was also similarly dressed in a tattered array of clothing articles and colors. Thankfully most of those tatters were winter clothes, so I wasn't too worried about him catching his death of cold, but humans are fragile which made the fire that blazed in a barrel not too far away was fairly reasonable. Did I say the fire was fairly reasonable? I meant very reasonable, and becoming more so as the heat slowly seeped into my bones after I took a seat across from Bobby.  
  
Then as if the heat wasn't heavenly enough, there was the smell, the smell of roasting meat. The meat was a half slab of beef ribs, more or less the remainder of a kill I had made a few nights ago on a farm about twenty some odd miles outside the city. It had been a nice sized cow , but the run to the farm and the hunt had left me in serous need of sustenance. So I ate my fill and used my claws to butcher the rest. With about a hundred pounds of meat I gave Bobby half to use how he wanted, and kept the other to stave of my own hunger. That you see is our greatest weakness, the need for large amounts of food because our bodies tend to burn more calories in a day than the average human does in three.  
  
So yes I was rather hungry as I grabbed the roasted meat from its improvised spit and tore into it with gusto. It was delicious, tender, and succulent but then as a human once said "hunger is sometimes the best sauce." Like with Lucian's saying this is couldn't have been truer.  
  
After the initial savoring bites, it took me the all of two minutes to gorge down what was in essence little more than a gastric distraction, wonder if Bobby had anymore, squash the idea of stealing from a friend and decide to make another visit to the farm. 'Later, I would go to the farm later.' After that last thought I found my eyelids too heavy.  
  
I don't remember falling asleep, but must have because when I opened my eyes again the moon was high in the night sky, its pale face clear and lighting up the alley. Well lighting it up for me, any human in my place would have been half blind at best, but I am not human. Thus I have exceptional night vision not to mention my hearing and sense of smell. That is how I noticed, noticed that Bobby was not where I left him. Not that there was anything exceptionally strange about that, Bobby was after all a friend not a servant, but knowing the rather good natured man I knew if he had gone he would have woken me if for noting else but to say goodbye. So with my doubts already putting me on edge, I got to my feet. Taking a moment to gather myself, I focused, letting my senses expand like a net over the area. That net in turn gave me information, info about every single building and alleyway. From the sound of the creaking stairs in the building behind me, to the scents of various creatures that did and had occupied the alley. One of which was Bobby.  
  
At first I was simply curious, and maybe a little worried about Bobby, but by the time I followed his scent to the opening of the alley from which I had watched the sun set, worried was replaced by full blown dread.  
  
That was when I smelled blood, Bobby's blood. I felt a growl rise in my throat, that took all I had to repress and allow me to continue running.  
  
I ran for what felt like forever, but it couldn't have been for long considering I was still on the docks when I found Bobby. He was lying face down in a pool of his own blood. When I got to his side I could see his wound clearly, or rather wounds, because there were two small punchers in his jugular that were far less neat than they should have been, almost as if a ripping motion had been used to remove the responsible apparatuses. Instantly I recognized the marks and instantly I dodged without knowing that anything was coming, but I wasn't surprised when a silver throwing dagger sailed passed my noise.  
  
"Death Dealer!" I growled into the darkened the alley from which the dagger had come.  
  
Then as if the words had brought the creature to life, their it was, or rather her, because the Death Dealer was most assuredly a woman. A beautiful woman, with shocking cobalt eyes and flowing blond locks that fell to her shoulders. Like most of them she wore a skin tight leather bodysuit. It showed off her curves to perfection, but more importantly clung to her as not to be a hindrance in battle and was thick enough that a slash of my claws in my wolf form wouldn't do any life threatening damage. Still she knew if I got a grip on her she would be finished, so she was still a ways away, already drawing a gun.  
  
I lashed out with speed I did not realize I possessed, covering the ground between myself and the Death Dealer, in fact I reached her just as she got her gun clear of her holster, and slammed an open palm strike into her temple. She went down in a heap, out for the count, and just as I had any mental consideration of complementing myself on a deed well done without killing her, I felt a terrible burning in my forearm. Looking down I saw a hilt, one that perfectly matched the one on the dagger I had dodged, and it was growing out of my arm.  
  
"GrrrrGhuh!" I growled , yanking the thing free of its new flesh sheath.  
  
And as quickly as I had picked up the first one, I saw the second of the Death Dealers. It was a handsome, seemingly young man with raven hair, and odd gray eyes. He wore a masculine version of the earlier Dealer's dress with a trench coat, that I didn't doubt was the housing for an arsenal.  
  
He smirked as he stepped backward, a move that sent his trench billowing open, allowing him easy access to two semi-autos in his hip holsters.  
  
I don't know why, but I froze like a deer in the head lights and he was far too pleased to keep driving, with wide maniacal grin distorting his features. He had to have emptied two clips, but miraculously I dodged, not the bullets, but away from the deafening noise which saved my life. Then in the miniscule amount of time it took him to reload I sent a trashcan lid sailing . It distracted him, I rushed and a slamming fist sent him to the ground.  
  
Having learned from my previous mistakes, I turned with a snapping right, it sent the third of the Dealers to the ground.  
  
"Predictable." I sneered toward the most recent of the fallen bodies.  
  
However to my surprise, she was not unconscious, but instead glared at me with fiery emerald eyes.  
  
"I'll kill you! Lycan do you hear me ? I'll kill you!" she snarled at me, her fangs suddenly budding , and her eyes flushing sky blue.  
  
This of course didn't surprise me, they hated us, and we hated them, the same old same old. Not feeling in the mood to put up with more of her crap I prepared myself for another knockout blow.  
  
"Come on Lycan you had better kill me, or you will never have peace, everything you have will end up just like that human pet of yours!"  
  
Once again I had to struggled to keep control, but was successful, just barely and wasn't completely calm when I spoke again.  
  
"Do you want me to kill you Death Dealer? Do You? Like I've killed so many of your kind"  
  
After the words had come out I regretted them, because with them came the memories, the faces of all those lives I had thrown away and not all of them were the enemy.  
  
"So many of my kind? What about every other kind? You monsters don't discriminate when you kill!" that got my attention, I had never heard of a Death Dealer caring about anyone besides their house members. So one talking about other kinds was more than curious.  
  
"What do you mean by other kinds exactly?" I said not really noticing the curiosity in my own voice.  
  
But she must have, because the next look she gave me was not a glare, or any hateful look for that matter. No it was a look of surprise, one that only after a few moments deteriorated into a cynical smirk.  
  
"Don't play stupid Lycan. I know you remember me, and what you did to my family." She laughed humorlessly.  
  
In all fairness I have lived for over nine hundred years, and my memory isn't exactly limitless. Anyway It was a long time before I could respond to her accusation , in fact it was that time that gave my memory purchase upon the woman before me. Like the blond she was beautiful, but was a slightly different beauty. The blond Dealer had an athletic sense to her , but it was nothing compared to the one I had pinned, she was well prefect. Yes I know there is no such thing as perfection, especially when describing people , but I can't think of a better word to describe one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Yes girl, because physically she couldn't have been more than in her early twenties, but considering physically I'm no more than twenty-five I know looks can be deceiving. But I really didn't mind a well toned, perfectly curved, exotically skinned deception. But what really got me were her eyes, they were the deepest emerald that burned with an internal fire.  
  
Those eyes, I had seen those eyes somewhere before. Then it hit me where I had seen her before.  
  
"You're Maria?" I said asked, already my heart knowing the answer.  
  
"The killer remembers his victims' family?" she asked in fained surprise.  
  
It couldn't be possible, because the last time I saw Maria was six hundred years ago and she had been dying. You see then I had been a knight if the Spanish King,. Something awarded to me after I " rescued" the prince, the fact that I had saved him from a battle I started by raiding a vampire run bordello never came up, and as always my people and theirs weren't eager to share this info with the humans. So I was dubbed a hero, at that time not really knowing why, because it was only until much later that I learned human politics.  
  
But it didn't take that knowledge to enjoy the large estate, servants, or the vassals and farmland. And enjoy them I did. In both my forms, riding and over seeing during the day, while stalking and prowling at night. It was during one of these prowls that I was ambushed by a few vamps looking to takeout the newest annoyance to their master Marcus, as I found out from them Marcus was none to happy with my fortune among the humans. The minions of coarse were no challenge, but damn it one of them caught me from behind with a blade that just missed my heart. Adding to the fatality of the wound was the fact that the tip of the silver laced blade broke off in it I don't remember much after that, just some stumbling and the smell of earth and blood, but I do remember losing consciousness . And wondering if I would die.  
  
But I didn't die. I awoke to the sound of music, the sweet melody of a flute. The music seemed to come from everywhere, even from the inside, it was a happy tune that seemed to make the drab interior of the room in which I resided come to life, and it seemed to make the wounded flesh knit beneath its carefully placed bandage  
  
"Hello ma Lord." Came a voice in common Spanish.  
  
Turning, I was faced by a woman with caramel colored skin, deep emerald eyes, and the oddest colored hair I had ever seen in a Spaniard. She had a worried knit to her brow, that worked its way down to her eyes which were locked on me. So worried was she that she repeated her question, more forcefully which was something few women would have done.  
  
I replied in kind with "Who are you ma lady, and where am I?" also in common Spanish.  
  
This however must have surprised her, because she stepped backward a bit looking at me wide eyed.  
  
"You speak the language of the common people my Lord?" she asked, amending the question to proper, or more appropriately called Aristocratic Spanish.  
  
"I was not always a Knight." I explained, amending as well.  
  
At this comment she smiled, which meant I had broken her Aristocracy nervousness, a common illness developed by peasants in the presence of their supposed betters. I of coarse was no better than her, simply different, but getting her to understand that would have been too long and arduous a process so instead went with the normal snooty aristocrat act.  
  
"Thank you for saving my life my lady, and thanks to your husband which allowed such a feat."  
  
This was of coarse what any woman would have expected one of my station to say, but still as I watched her delicate features lower I knew I had said something wrong.  
  
"I am sorry if I have offended my Lady." I offered., but she shook her head to the negative.  
  
" No my Lord you have not, it is only that my husband has been dead for a year now. My brother and father tend this land." She explained.  
  
"I am sorry for your loss."  
  
She excepted my condolences with a slight nod and then all was silent, except for the sweet melody. We listened for a long while until it ended, the song ended and I asked who had been playing.  
  
That was how my relationship with Maria's mother had begun, and it was one of the greatest moments in my life. The years that followed were even greater, as I was allowed to listen to Maria's beautiful song and love her beautiful mother, Eliza. You see we became a family, though I couldn't officially marry one of my vassals, or a human woman for that matter, but still we were a family.  
  
But the war would not let me have my family, you see one night, a fellow by the name of Avoal reported to me that a force of men were headed toward my estate and he gave me a symbol that he swore was on the war banner. It was the mark of Marcus and the Vampire house. I gathered together my Lycan brothers and we rode to the location that Avoal gave, only there were no Vampires, only a note.  
  
My dear Lycan,  
  
You have made a bit of a nuisance of yourself. You have joined in the human, revelry, even taken a human to your bed, that is low, even for an animal such as yourself. I do not doubt that in time you would have told her what you are, and the others would have killed you. So I shall do you a favor, so I can kill you myself.  
  
My condolences,  
  
Marcus  
  
Rage filled me as I read the last of this, a rage like none before, so great was it that I transformed without notice, nor would I have cared if I had noticed. No I was one with the beast within and it showed as I tore through the forest with a speed no creature would reproduce for centuries. Few of the others could follow so as I stood at the summit of the hill before my estate, I had only two other companions.  
  
Find my daughter I told the first of my companions, in the silent language we Lycans use in wolf form. The second I ordered to follow me. That had been my fatal mistake.  
  
We entered my estate easily enough, but what we found was a field of slaughter, everyone was dead or dying and that included Eliza. I never forgot her eyes, first when she saw me as a wolf, then when she saw me change, and finally as she told me what happened. The vampires had done it, the combo of Marcus and Craven. They had turned Avoal in front of her, his reward for his betrayal , and they had slaughtered the others just because of me. This was memory worthy, but what I never would forget were her last words "Please forgive them Jonathan, don't kill anymore of them? Please?"  
  
I honored her request by not killing them, but quite a few probably wished I had as my brother and I fought through their ranks to Marcus, Craven, and Maria.. But when I got there it was too late, the first of my companions was dead, and Maria lay in a pool of her own blood.  
  
I am not sure what happened afterward, because by then I had sought shelter within the beast's mind, allowing my inner-beast to run free. But I was sure Maria was dead.  
  
Maybe I should have been surer, because it doesn't take a genus to figure out what Marcus did to her.  
  
"I didn't kill your mother." I said to Maria, after I had recounted the events to her as they had happened.  
  
"You're a terrible liar!" she sneered at me, but I could see doubt in her eyes. That however was the last thing I saw before the momentary bout of darkness.  
  
I regained consciousness before I could muster the strength to open my eyes, but still I listened.  
  
"Are you alright Maria?" a man's voice said, he was obviously the one who had hit me.  
  
"I'm fine. How is Sonya?"  
  
"I'm cool Maria." a woman's voice answered.  
  
"You Avoal?" asked Sonya, and I almost died right there.  
  
The man was Avoal? But how? I should have known! Shouldn't I have, but then I hadn't exactly remembered Maria either. Then again how could I, seven hundred years is an eternity, for a person to change. And a large change had come over both Avoal and Maria, namely they were now Vampires.  
  
"I'll be great as soon as we kill this bastard." Avoal snarled.  
  
I assumed he meant me, and the feeling was more than mutual but I couldn't do anything until I healed enough to purge my body of any lingering silver effects from the dagger from earlier, and a new one I discovered in my back when I tried rolling over. This plus the blow had laid me out. Still I could talk and that might buy me some time.  
  
"Avoal you really haven't changed at all, you're still a coward." I said my voice coming out as a rough rasp.  
  
That got the attention of all present.  
  
"Damn, he's conscious?" Avoal grumbled to himself then followed it up with "I show you a coward!"  
  
And he did by kicking me square in the ribs, which sent me into a coughing fit that resulted in my expulsion of a slight amount of blood. While it did give the bastard something to smile about, it was the best thing for me as well, because it knocked the dagger from my back a bit. Now all I had to do was loosen it up a bit more and purge, because for all the theatrics Avoal kicked like a girl. But as I opened my mouth again, I found out Maria didn't.  
  
This time the blood amount was not slight, and the dagger fell with a clang,. But I felt my heaving insides not caring and after the heaving, my chest ached so badly it was hard to focus on the change, but I was more than angry enough to go with an anger change. Still I maintained my human form, because there was one last thing I had to ask.  
  
"Maria, why? Why did you kill Bobby?"  
  
"Bobby?" she asked confused.  
  
"The human." Avoal clarified with a laugh  
  
That was when she snapped forward, catching Avoal square. Which left him to get back up with outrage burning in his eyes.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" Avoal and Sonya asked in unison.  
  
"I told you to incapacitate the human!" she snarled.  
  
"I did, can you think of a better way to incapacitate a human than draining him dry." Avoal explained, his tone all innocence, and his eyes meeting mine.  
  
That was it, the last straw. I exploded from the ground, my transformation already begun. Every muscle in my body building and changing, claws extending, and fur growing. It took only moments for me, and only moments more to dash clear of the three and into a side alley. Then it took only a few more for them to take off after me. With superior strength though and a speed that was at least equal, I gave them a true chase. One that just happened to split them up.  
  
My blood burned for vengeance as watched them search different parts of the various alleyways, from my perch atop one of the many buildings, I was only feet away from Avoal. Still if I was going to convince Maria I had to keep him conscious. So I paid Sonya a visit.  
  
Afterward I let her rest, and came face to face with Avoal.  
  
"You should be dead!" he roared at me as he once again unloaded with his semi-autos, this of coarse was of little matter as I dodged up a building wall, only to come down behind the idiot.  
  
When my claws gripped his neck, it took every iota of restraint I had to keep from choking the life from him, and the added uncertainty of my decision got one added bonus from Avoal that I wouldn't have expected from a Death Dealer. The hot acidic smell brought an amused smirk to my face.  
  
"Pants wetter."  
  
That left Maria.  
  
"Hey Maria!!"  
  
The Death Dealer jumped backward, just dodging the projectile that was Avoal.  
  
"We've got a lot to talk about." I said pointing to a naked Avoal, while I finished buttoning up his, err my new shirt.  
  
I was feeling better by now, and was almost in a good mood.  
  
"I think you'll find that Avoal here will now be willing to confess what happened." I said happily  
  
For a long moment she was silent, so long in fact that I thought she may have been contemplating an attack , but one never came. Instead she simply came to face me. We were face to face, then she turned and swept her crimson hair away from her neck. By this time I was more than a bit confused, but I simply obeyed as she asked me to unzip the bodysuit.  
  
Slowly she pealed it away from her curvaceous form, pausing every moment or so to look over her shoulder to make sure I was watching. Which in itself struck me as odd, but then odd became unreal as she asked me to help her get completely out of the now loose up top leather. Which I did, but kept my eyes on her back, not that I had any indecent thoughts or anything. However I couldn't keep up that claim as she caught my hand and slowly brought it down her back, until I felt.  
  
Scars, four deep furrows in the middle of her lower back, that perfectly fit my finger patterns.  
  
"How?" I asked not knowing what to say.  
  
"Your guard tried to kill me, Marcus turned me in order to save my life." She explained coldly.  
  
"But why did you come after me?"  
  
"Because Marcus told me you killed mom, but now that I've met you. I know it was a lie."  
  
"Will you stay?"  
  
"No. Will you keep your promise to mom?"  
  
"Yes. So I guess this is goodbye for now."  
  
"Yeah, goodbye for now."  
  
With that said she disappeared, leaving me all alone with the still unconscious and naked Avoal. I contemplated wakening him a slapping him around for a while, but instead decided to let him walk it off, the long walk back to the Vampire house. 


End file.
